


We Are Young

by BingeMac



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: A lot of cursing... like a lot, Age Difference, Also my sex scenes might be awful which is why there won't be much, Alternate Universe - Muggle, But he doesn't actually give anyone HIV don't worry, Drug Use, HIV/AIDS, I'll mention sex a lot though, M/M, Queer as Folk (UK) - Freeform, Smoking, The HIV might be kept secret
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2018-11-06 17:28:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11040870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BingeMac/pseuds/BingeMac
Summary: (WIP) Muggle AU based on Queer as Folk (UK).  Sixteen-year-old Charlie Weasley finds himself drawn to the infamous Canal Street where he meets the mysterious and confusing man that is Sirius Black.  Sucked into this man's world for a night, Charlie is fairly certain that he never wants to leave it.  Set in Manchester 1999.  Sirius/Charlie.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N- Ugh, I don’t know what came over me, but suddenly 10,000 words just magically appeared on the page and I’ve decided to post it on a whim. So basically I binge-watched all of Queer as Folk (the UK version) in one night and I had to start writing a fanfiction in which the Stuart Alan Jones character is replaced by Sirius Black and the Nathan Maloney character is replaced by Charlie Weasley. Yes, this is a muggle AU and please mind the mature rating. It’s not too explicit, but I don’t think its tame enough to be rated T. Also, I don’t usually like reading or writing stories with such a wide age gap between the paired characters, but hey, at least I made Charlie of consenting age, unlike his character in the wonderful television series this fanfiction is based on. I take many lines directly from Queer as Folk, but I did change the plot around quite a bit to fit the Harry Potter characters. I’m not sure if I’m going to write more than this, but if you want more, please let me know. It might be fun to explore these characters, so who knows? Could make for an interesting chapter fic instead of a one-off.

Charlie Weasley pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it between shaking fingers. Taking a puff, he tried his best to calm his nerves. It would not do well to look like a frightened child while standing on this particular street.

Charlie was quite honestly terrified. He wasn’t sure why he chose tonight of all nights to sneak out of his house and travel west to Canal Street. He’d never really done such a thing before. Broken the rules, that is. He was always the good child. Got decent grades, but wasn’t a total swot like Percy. Able to have a good laugh, but didn’t go out of his way to be funny like Fred and George. He wasn’t the oldest, the one everyone looked up to. No, that honor went to Bill. He wasn’t the youngest, the one everyone babied. Ron and Ginny got the brunt of that particular love from the family’s matriarch. He was just Charlie. Good ol’ Charlie Weasley. No real defining characteristics. The one who was constantly overlooked. It bothered him sometimes, but he’d rather have no adjectives tacked onto the beginning of his identity, than have everyone label him the gay one.

Charlie watched the people as they strode by, barely giving him a second glance unless it was to leer. It was unsettling actually. He didn’t even know why he was here or what he expected to get from this experience except to become even more uncomfortable in his sexuality than he already was.

He tapped his finger on the fence post he was leaning against, quickly gearing up to make a hasty retreat.

No, he scolded himself. You can do this. Just ask someone where to go.

“Excuse me,” he said, stopping an older gentleman in his tracks. “I mean… I’m just looking, but I don’t— I mean what’s the best place to go?”

The older man stuffed his hands into his pockets and promptly replied, “Well it depends on what you’re after. If you want bastards,” he spit out, his posture suddenly turning hostile, “you’ll want to go in there.” Charlie followed the man’s pointer finger and barely registered the name of the club before the man was shouting again. “And if you want wankers, go in there. And if you want selfish little mincing piss-tied dickheads, then pick a building. ANY BUILDING! It’s full of them!”

The man turned and strode away leaving a mystified Charlie in his wake. Well… bollocks. That was a raving success, Charlie. Well done.

Charlie sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He took another drag of his cigarette and reached into his pocket for another, but he was all out. Bill always used to say, when your pack is empty, the night is over. Charlie hoped things were going well at University for his older brother. God he missed him.

While heading back to the carpark, he leaned against a railing and finished his cigarette, taking one last look at Canal Street and the complete failure this night turned out to be. Perhaps he would try again another night. And perhaps he wouldn’t.

The embers were slowly eating away at the paper and he knew it would all be over the second the flames reached his fingers. And that’s when Charlie saw him for the first time.

This man walked with purpose, like he owned the world and just happened to let everyone live in it, rent-free. He wore a long-sleeved button up shirt and skinny trousers, all in black. His dark hair was a bit longer and slightly wavy, framing his chiseled facial features that belonged on royalty. His lips were always curved up as if nothing could deter his pleasant mood, but his smile hinted at mischief and mayhem. And those eyes were like nothing Charlie had ever seen before. On the colorful street, the gray of his irises contrasted beautifully. That silver gaze landed on Charlie for only the briefest of moments before it moved on. All Charlie knew was that he wanted this man to give him a second glance, unlike all the rest, and he spent every spark of his remaining energy following the man with his eyes and silently willing for him to turn back. And then he did.

Charlie was struck dumb and he looked away quickly. What am I thinking? Is this what I really want? Isn’t my night supposed to be over?

“Had a good night?”

Charlie looked up at the owner of the melodious voice that contained just the softest Irish lilt. He was fairly certain he had never heard something more beautiful.

“Yeah.” That one word was all that he could utter and it would have to do.

“I’m Sirius,” the man offered. Charlie raised an eyebrow waiting for him to explain that statement. He’s serious? What did that mean? The man only grinned wider and offered no explanation. “Got somewhere to go,” he asked instead.

I should really get home. “No.” What are you doing?

“Want to come back to mine?” 

The question was like music to Charlie’s ears and he didn’t even realize he was nodding his head until the man was holding out a hand. “Ok,” he choked out.

The tall, dark stranger sent him an amused expression as if he were looking at a small kitten that got his head trapped inside an empty napkin box. Charlie couldn’t find it in himself to mind. He took the man’s hand.

“Sirius,” a voice called from the carpark. The man wrapped an arm around Charlie’s shoulders and just sent a little wave to the obviously annoyed man sitting on the hood of a jeep. Sirius. That’s his name, Charlie concluded. “I’m keeping it then, shall I?” The man next to him only smirked in response. “Right then. Good luck getting to work. Git.”

While the tall brunette was clearly aggravated as he entered and started the jeep, it was evident to Charlie he was one of Sirius’s closest friends. And that Sirius did this sort of thing a lot. Charlie searched his soul to see if he minded and surmised that at this particular moment, he really, really didn’t.

It was only a few minutes before they reached Sirius’s flat. (Charlie said flat, but it was decidedly better than a mere flat.) Taking up the entire top floor, Sirius lived in the most beautiful place Charlie had ever seen in real life. Considering Sirius was the most beautiful person Charlie had seen in real life, the flat was definitively fitting.

“Nice kitchen,” Charlie remarked and immediately regretted. Sirius took out a water bottle from the cooler and gulped the whole thing down in one go. “It’s great, it’s really nice,” Charlie added and wanted to smack himself in the head for being so idiotic. Sirius wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and continued to not say a word. Charlie knew he should probably shut up now, but silences were hard, especially for a boy in a family of nine. Silences were a rarity and right now, they weren’t sitting well with Charlie, because it suddenly hit him that he was in some stranger’s place, alone, just this random bloke and plain old Charlie Weasley. “I never cook. Takeaways, that’s me,” Charlie continued awkwardly. He didn’t think he was fooling Sirius with the line, trying to make himself seem older than he currently was, nor did he particularly care. He just wished that he would shut up already.

Sirius headed out of the kitchen and strode to the back of the flat where Charlie presumed his bedroom was. Charlie watched, captivated, as Sirius stalked toward the door, slowly unbuttoning his top and shoving it over his shoulders, showing off his lean, toned back. Charlie knew he was still talking, but at this point he had no idea what he was actually saying. It was probably something horribly embarrassing like his allergic reaction to peanuts or the time he thought his older brother’s lizard was a baby dragon that hadn’t started growing yet.

Abruptly, Sirius spun around, his dark locks dancing across his face like he had practiced that move a thousand times over in order to get it absolutely perfect. Charlie probably thought that this was exactly what the man did in his spare time. It proved very affective, however, at shutting Charlie up, so he would be eternally grateful for all that practice.

“You staying out here or what?”

Charlie’s heart leapt into his throat. He could hear the rapid pace of his heartbeat like the bass of a catchy pop song urging him to move forward. He took a few steps closer to Sirius, his eyes never leaving those colorless depths that marked each side of Sirius’s face. The man across form him took two steps closer as well and now they were face to face. Charlie was surprised to find out that he was actually a few centimeters taller. That fact did not stop Sirius from taking control, however, and soon their lips were connected.

This wasn’t the first time Charlie had kissed someone. Of course, those kisses were with girls. He remembered practicing with his best friend when they were in year eight. He remembered the spattering of girls he took to school dances and kissed good night. Charlie had kissed before, but he had never been kissed before. Kissing a bloke was altogether different, because they were both fighting for dominance which created a certain kind of dance unlike any other.

It wasn’t long before Charlie had Sirius’s face in his hands desperately trying to explore the man’s mouth with every inch of his tongue. He didn’t even realize he was being lead into the bedroom until they were already there. Sirius shifted his weight which caught Charlie off balance and suddenly he was lying flat on the most comfortable bed Charlie had ever felt before. He didn’t even have time to run his hands over the soft satin sheets before Sirius climbed on top of him, undoing his belt expertly with one hand.

Soon they were both stark naked and Charlie was struggling to rein in his fear. He’d never done anything like this before, especially with another man, and he was predictably terrified out of his mind. But he wanted this. He really wanted this.

Sixteen years he spent hidden from the world, too afraid of having an identity that most people would deem inappropriate and wrong. He knew the nineties were more accepting than the eighties, and the eighties were more accepting than the seventies, and so on and so forth. But there was still a decent portion of the population that did not understand— were unwilling to understand— and found this all deplorable.

Sirius rubbed their cocks together and Charlie had never experienced anything quite like this before. Nothing he could imagine while he masturbated could possibly compare to the real thing. Not even close.

“What do you like,” Sirius asked suddenly.

Charlie should probably be annoyed that this man was suddenly inquiring about his telly habits out of the blue, but he was honestly grateful. He was awfully close to cumming after just a little bit of frottage, and he hoped the distraction would save him from the embarrassment for a little while longer.

“Er… like Doctor Who.”

“No, what do you like in bed,” Sirius reiterated, making Charlie’s cheeks color. Well, so much for holding off on the humiliation. Sirius seemed highly amused, but now joined his hands into the mix, stroking their shafts together.

“This is fine,” Charlie groaned as the warmth in his belly grew deeper. He was getting terribly close.

“Rimming?”

“Huh,” Charlie mumbled, hardly paying attention.

“Do you like rimming,” Sirius asked with a twist of his wrist that had Charlie arching his back.

What the fuck is rimming? “Er yeah. Of course,” Charlie lied.

Sirius suddenly stopped his assault on Charlie’s senses and the redhead wasn’t quite sure if he was relieved or disappointed. He felt confident that he leaned more towards the latter and would no longer care if he came all over this stranger’s silk sheets.

“Great,” Sirius piped up. “Care to give it a go?”

Charlie blinked. “Uh what do you mean exactly?”

Sirius’s smile was blinding and Charlie was certain now that Sirius was messing with him. Again, Charlie knew he should feel annoyed with the man on top of him, but he wasn’t in the slightest. It was a strange phenomenon.

Charlie felt a smile creep up on his face and he noticed the flash of surprise in Sirius’s eyes before it was gone. “I can show—“ Sirius started, but was cut off by the ringtone of his landline. Charlie desperately wanted to know how Sirius was going to finish that sentence and cursed the caller on the other end. “It’s two in the morning,” Sirius muttered distractedly. “Who would be calling— oh!”

Sirius reached for the phone on his nightstand while keeping Charlie trapped underneath him and answered the call. “No! NO! No way,” he said with a grin a mile wide. “Now? Really?” Whatever was going on, Sirius was excited about it, which inexplicably lead to him jerking Charlie off again. In between the phrases “Are you certain?” and “Alright, no need to snap,” Charlie came into Sirius’s hands which he wiped onto the bedspread without a care in the world. Charlie gasped for air as he came down from his orgasm, trying to get his breathing back under control, all the while listening to Sirius, who still straddled his lap as he spoke on the phone with the mysterious caller.

“What?… Oh just some bloke… I don’t know— Hey what’s your name?” 

It took Charlie a second to realize Sirius was talking to him. “Uh— Charlie.”

Sirius smirked. “Say hi to Alice, Charlie,” he said placing the phone down by his ear. Too bewildered to actually say anything, Charlie just stared at the man in complete bewilderment. Charlie was pretty sure his silence didn’t matter one bit to Sirius who took the phone back before Charlie could utter a word, and continued his conversation as if it hadn’t been interrupted. “…No… Ok fine, I am, so what?… Sorry, sorry Alice. I don’t know what I’m still doing here. I’m on my way… What?… Yeah, yeah…” Sirius paused and rolled his eyes at Charlie. The redhead was completely baffled. “I’m putting on pants as we speak. See you soon.” Sirius hung up and flung the phone onto the pillow by Charlie’s head. “Well this was fun, but I gotta go.” 

The heat on Charlie’s legs finally disappeared and he only laid there naked for a second before scrambling out of bed and following after the whirlwind of a man named Sirius.

Still shirtless, but already clad in a tight pair of black pants and low-riding dark jeans, Charlie found Sirius searching his tabletop for something.

“What are you looking for,” Charlie asked as he pulled on his own pants.

“Keys.”

“I think your friend has your car.”

“Ah Remus,” Sirius said with a snap of his fingers. “He’ll want to be there anyway.”

Charlie grinned at Sirius’s antics as he began flailing around looking for the telephone. Charlie had never seen such a cool bloke act so uncool. But Sirius’s excitement was oddly infectious and Charlie found himself wishing he could be a part of whatever it was that made him act this way.

Sirius found the phone and started pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the living room as he punched in his friend’s number, which was oddly short, Charlie noticed. He must have this Remus bloke on speed-dial. “Remus! Wow, you answered on the first ring. Are you still up? I’d ask if you pulled a bird, but first of all— disgusting— and second of all, look who I’m talking to. You were most likely watching Doctor Who again. I think you and this kid would probably get on splendidly. Apparently he likes Doctor Who as well…”

Charlie could feel his cheeks color as he buttoned up his white colored shirt.

“…Oh you love me; don’t deny it. Now come get me…. Why? Because it’s happened. Alice just called… Yes… Yes! Now get over h— you know what, never mind. I’ll call a cabbie. Meet you there.” And then Sirius hung up without saying goodbye.

By this point, Charlie was fully clothed and his windbreaker was draped over one arm. Sirius was still shirtless, which Charlie wasn’t particularly upset by. “Er, well I should probably get back. Have to study for finals.”

“Finals?”

“At MU.”

Silver eyes, heavy with skepticism, landed on Charlie. “How old are you?”

“Twenty,” Charlie lied and obviously so.

Sirius smirked. “Bollocks. What year were you born?”

Shit. “1979.”

“No you weren’t. You had to think about it. No one has to think about what year they were born. How old are you,” he repeated.

Charlie grimaced and licked the moisture back into his mouth. “Eighteen,” Charlie tried again.

Sirius stepped up very close until their noses practically touched. It must have looked a sight with tall, dark, and handsome Sirius shirtless and barefoot, and lanky, pale, ginger-haired Charlie fully-clothed. “How old are you?”

“Sixteen,” Charlie replied without thinking. Sirius was just so close and the oxygen was having a hard time reaching his brain. Sirius stepped away and the air rushed back to Charlie’s lungs, but he was a bit disappointed by the amount of empty space between them all the same.

Sirius grinned. “Are you some kind of genius?”

Charlie quirked up an eyebrow in confusion. “Doubt it.”

“So you don’t go to Manchester University,” Sirius concluded, still grinning that wicked grin.

Charlie snorted and smiled back. “Clearly.”

Sirius’s grin grew wider like he was pleasantly surprised by how Charlie handled being caught. Suddenly his head cocked to the side like he was deciding something important about Charlie and was trying to come at the problem from a different angle. “You coming with then?”

Charlie looked up from under his eyelashes in disbelief. “Where are we going?”

Sirius chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

***

“Have you seen her?”

“I was waiting for you,” Remus explained as Sirius jogged up beside him. “She’s in room 7A.”

“Well come on then,” Sirius said rushing past Remus and into the hospital. A tall redhead was steps behind Sirius and Remus blinked.

“Wait— what?” Remus charged after his best mate as the three men traversed corners seeking out the room they were looking for. “You brought him,” Remus huffed as Sirius took another bend in the corridor.

Sirius glanced over his shoulder at the tall redhead who smiled shyly. “Yup.”

Remus almost tripped over his own he feet; he was that astonished by the simple answer. Who is this kid, Remus wondered, but his thoughts were quickly derailed when 7A came into view. Sirius and Remus rushed at the door, swinging it open with a flourish and there she was.

“Oh. My. God.” Sirius left his mouth open as he stared in awe at the bundle in her arms.

And there he was.

“Now I have a rule,” Lily said holding up a finger. “No crying. Understand? Neither of you shed a tear, or I will start crying and I really can’t handle that right now.”

“Cross my heart,” Sirius said vaguely as he stepped up closer to the bed with eyes wide.

“What he said,” Remus added as he skipped up next to Sirius, giving a short nod to Frank and Alice who were seated on the other side. Remus exhaled at the sight before him. “He’s perfect Lils.”

Lily smiled down at the baby boy, her eyes tearing up despite her protests. “I know,” she choked out.

“Well, what’s his name,” Remus asked as both a distraction and out of supreme curiosity.

“We were thinking Henry,” Alice said. “That was the option we landed on before you got here. Do you think it’s too royal, though? Frank thinks so.”

“How many kings have been named Henry,” Frank asked rhetorically, holding up his hands in defense. “That’s all I’m saying.”

“Well we wouldn’t want that now would we,” Sirius murmured, stroking the baby’s small hand with his index finger. “Nobility causes nothing but trouble.”

“He could go by a nickname,” Alice pointed out in frustration.

“Hank?”

Frank and Remus shared a grimace.

“No, no. Harry,” Lily voiced softly, still not looking up from her son’s face.

“Brilliant,” Sirius announced. “Remus run a check on Harrys.”

Remus laughed, but did as he was told. “Well Harry Osborn in the Spider-man comics. Bit of an anti-hero, but that means he’s cool. There’s Harry Truman, American President during World War II. Er— oh, Harry Houdini!”

“Harry Connick Jr,” Sirius added. “He’s fit.”

Lily snorted and held back a grin as she pondered this name. “It’s decided,” she declared. “His name will be Harry. Harry Potter.”

The world seemed to shrink in on itself until this particular room was all that existed. The silence was meaningful, but short-lived as Lily shuffled Harry up into Sirius’s waiting arms. “What do you think Sirius?”  
Sirius smiled down at the baby in his arms. “I think he’s perfect.” He shifted his gaze to Remus who grinned broadly at his best mate. Then Sirius’s gaze landed over his shoulder and Remus turned around to see the tall redhead that Sirius had taken home earlier was still in attendance. “What do you think?”

The young man pointed at himself in shock. “Me?”

“No the poster of the uterus behind you,” Sirius quipped.

“Oh— um… well, Harry’s a great name. Really… Uh, but I find it a little odd that you forgot about Prince Harry. You know, since you don’t want to name him after a royal, it seems like a bit of an oversight.”

Remus gaped at the boy in front of him until he heard the sound of laughter behind him. He then turned and gaped at Sirius and Lily who were both in a fit of hysterics.

“Fuck,” Sirius bellowed, wiping tears from his eyes.

Lily backhanded him half-heartedly. “No swearing.”

“That’s never going to happen, Lils,” Sirius promised.

Lily shook her head in mild amusement. “I know.” She turned her attention to the redhead and raised a perfectly plucked ginger eyebrow. “And you are?”

“I’m guessing Charlie,” Alice spoke up, before the redhead could answer and Frank and Remus shared a bemused look. How did she know that? The man in question blushed beet red and ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment, his body language a clear sign that Alice had guessed correctly. The brunette flashed Sirius a knowing glance, but it was ignored.

“Like Prince Charles,” Sirius roared, sparking another round of giggles from Lily and Sirius.

“Well, I doubt he ever goes by Charlie,” Remus interjected, smiling as well because Sirius’s laughter was infectious. 

“Oh I’m starving,” Lily moaned as her giggles subsided.

“Oh fecking hell, we should have stopped off to get you a burger or something,” Sirius said. “I’m sure the cafe food is right awful.”

Lily laid a comforting hand on Sirius’s forearm. “It’s alright.”

Sirius frowned. “No it’s not. Here—“ Sirius shifted the still sleeping Harry into his left arm and pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. He flipped it open expertly with one hand, pulled out a couple tenners, and handed them to Charlie. “Get some pretzels or something from the vending machine. Oh, and coffee,” Sirius ordered.

“Charlie, you don’t have to do that,” Lily spoke up apologetically, trying to reach for the money, but Charlie had already stashed them in his pockets.

“I don’t mind,” Charlie replied with a smile and slipped out the doors. Once he was gone everyone turned their attention to Sirius who faked obliviousness to their collective scrutiny, too busy looking down at the newborn child with undisguised fondness.

“So you brought the kid because…” Remus finally asked.

Alice snorted. “He was jerking him off when I called earlier.”

“Ugh,” Lily complained affectionately.

“How old even is he,” Frank added. 

“Sirius,” Remus asked again. “Why’d you bring him?”

There was a distinct pause before Sirius shrugged. “He was there. One of the most important phone calls of my life and he was there. I couldn’t just leave him. You don’t mind, right Lils?”

Lily shook her head fondly. “As long as you’re here, what do I care if you brought one of your trophies.”

“He is pretty,” Sirius mused. “And speaking of me being here, I wanted to be here for the actual birth, Lily Potter. I can’t believe I missed it.”

“Trust me, you did not want to be there,” Lily assured him. “It wasn’t nice.”

“But I promised I would,” Sirius reminded her, obviously trying to keep up the easy, pleasant banter, but failing significantly when his voice faltered at the end.

Lily reached out and pulled Sirius closer to her. “You are now,” she encouraged taking a deep breath to calm herself. Remus could tell she was clearly on the verge of tears.

Remus, Frank, and Alice shared a pointed look and silently agreed to leave Lily and Sirius alone for a bit. They needed a little time to themselves. The three of them exited the delivery room with little fanfare and Sirius and Lily didn’t seem to notice.

As they settled themselves outside room 7A in a nearby sitting area, Alice, of course, was the first to break the silence. “So how are you doing Remus?”

Remus inhaled deeply and let out an exasperated huff. “I’m well actually.”

“Any health problems,” Frank inquired bluntly.

“Aside from the obvious,” Remus replied with a cheeky grin. “I’m doing great. Really.”

Frank and Alice were both surgeons at this hospital (heart and brain respectively) and were always quick to make sure Remus was doing alright. Considering the amount of time he spent in hospital over the years, being diagnosed with HIV at such a young age, Remus was actually very grateful to have two medical professionals as friends. He had convinced himself that these short consultations in regard to the status of his health meant he only had to schedule half the check-ups that he was supposed to, which meant less time in examination rooms. Of course, no one knew that he viewed his relationships with Frank and Alice Longbottom in this way and everyone assumed he was sitting his required medical treatments. He wasn’t going to tell them otherwise. It was just easier that way.

Charlie rounded the corner carrying five cups of coffee precariously between his arms and chest and a bunch of cracker bags were clenched between his teeth. Remus smirked.

Frank and Alice stood and retrieved some of the cups, thanking Charlie. Remus ignored them and stood up to look through the slot in the door into the room where Sirius and Lily were seated together on the hospital bed, laughing through a bout of tears as they stared affectionately down at little Harry. Remus smiled.

Charlie stepped up next to him and handed Remus a cup of coffee. He nodded his gratitude and took a sip, continuing to watch his oblivious friends. He heard Charlie shuffle nervously beside him and glanced over at him out of the corner of his eye.

“So, how old are ya,” Remus asked.

“Old enough,” Charlie said evasively, and pulled out a brand new pack of cigarettes from the inside pocket of his windbreaker.

“Did you just buy that,” Remus asked.

Charlie glanced down sheepishly at the contents in the palm of his hand. “He gave me twenty pounds. There was plenty leftover… and well…” He shrugged. “Do you want one?”

Remus snorted in strangely soft exasperation. “I quit.”

Charlie raised a brow, and shook out a cigarette from the pack into his outstretched hand. “Well good on you. I wish my brother didn’t introduce me to these things in the first place.”

“So he has a brother,” Remus confirmed.

Charlie laughed. “I have five brothers. And a sister.”

“That’s a large family then,” Remus mused, taking a sip of his coffee, before adding with casual indifference, “So, do they know?”

Charlie fiddled with the unlit cigarette, realizing that you can no longer smoke in hospitals, but clearly still needing the familiar stick between his fingers out of habit. “Nope. Does yours know?”

Remus tried to scowl, but he was positive it came off more like an amused smirk. People always assumed they knew him. It was damn frustrating. “My mums know I’m straight, yes. Almost got myself disowned when I came out as heterosexual,” Remus joked.

“Mums? Plural?”

Remus nodded and took another sip of his coffee. He wasn’t going to explain his whole life story to some affair of Sirius’s he’d never see again.

“Huh,” Charlie said with little contemplation. The redhead looked through the small window staring fondly at his best mate. “So how do you all know each other?”

“Boarding school,” Remus answered, seeing no harm in responding to such a simple question, although he didn’t plan on going into further detail than that.

“And, is the baby— I mean—“

Remus raised a brow in surprise. “What?”

“I was just wondering if the baby was his,” Charlie asked a bit breathily as if he severely regretted bringing it up.

“Sirius isn’t the father,” Remus answered for some inexplicable reason. “He’s the Godfather.”

“Oh.” Charlie started fidgeting again, and Remus knew he wanted very badly to ask more questions, so he cut him off.

“Who’s the—“

“You sure do talk a lot,” Remus interrupted.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed. Just one of my many faults, I’m sure,” Charlie sighed, finally looking away from the couple inside and focusing his attention on Remus. “Where’s the father?”

“He died,” Remus replied bluntly, hoping this would finally stop the audacious questions this stranger kept asking.

“Oh… I’m sorry,” Charlie mumbled in apology.

Remus was taken aback by the sincerity and even though Charlie clearly wanted to ask more questions, he stopped himself and remained silent, just staring blankly at the wall over Remus’s shoulder. Remus sighed and decided to throw the lad a bone. “James Potter died in an RAF training exercise when his jet’s engine failed. This was four months ago. Sirius and him were practically brothers.”

Charlie’s gaze focused once more and his blue eyes pierced right through Remus. The brunette had never said those words out loud. He’d never explained how one of his best friends in the whole world was taken from them at such a young age. It hurt immensely, but was oddly cathartic.

Suddenly the door to 7A swung open and Sirius emerged ranting, “Peter sent flowers. Why didn’t I get her flowers?” Sirius’s eyes landed on Charlie whose mouth was slightly agape. “Get some flowers Charlie, will you,” he asked before stuffing another tenner in the front pocket of the boy’s trousers.

Remus chuckled despite himself at Charlie’s puzzled expression as Sirius started striding away. Remus grasped Charlie’s shoulder in commiseration. “The shops are closed you know?”

Charlie nodded. “I’ll— I’ll figure it out,” Charlie promised, before stepping around Remus and heading back down the hall to the reception desk. Remus watched him go with a shake of his head, before following Sirius up the stairs, catching up once they reached the top floor and headed for the roof access door.

“He’s not your servant, you know, Lord Black,” Remus teased once Sirius swung open the door and stepped out into the twilight air.

“Call me that again and I’ll punch you in the face,” Sirius grunted, before taking a step up to the railing and looking out over the Manchester skyline, still lit up in the early morning darkness.

“Are you going to jump? It’d be just like the soaps, having a birth and death in the same episode,” Remus quipped before stepping up beside his friend and grasping his shoulders in a brotherly grip. When Sirius hadn’t returned his banter, Remus gave up on the pleasantries. “It’s weird isn’t it? I mean… he’s real. Just seeing him, it’s like— I don’t know what it’s like, actually. I mean it’s brilliant, but it’s weird.”

“He looks just like him,” Sirius murmured after a rather long silence. “Except—“

“The eyes,” Remus interjected. “Yeah I noticed that too.”

Sirius stepped back until he was standing behind Remus and wrapped his arms around him. “I miss him.” The sad quiet lasted a few seconds, which was a few seconds too long for Sirius, who suddenly lifted Remus’s arms up on either side of him. “That’s it. Arms out, like Titanic!” Remus laughed ruefully as Sirius started shouting, “King of the world! I’m king of the world!” into the quiet night.

Remus shook his head. “I’m always Kate Winslet. How am I always Kate Winslet?”

“Better question: how is it we’ve done this enough times for you to say ‘always’?”

Remus physically shook with laughter as he lowered his arms and turned around to face his friend. “Because you’re a nutter who might snap if I don’t indulge your every whim.”

“Ouch. You wound me, Remus,” Sirius teased, lifting a hand to his heart with faux anguish.

“Come on,” Remus urged, turning his friend around. “Let’s get you off this roof. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you now that you have responsibilities, Godfather Sirius.”

“Shut it,” Sirius groaned but made his way back to the roof access door and down to the top floor, Remus following behind him. 

They passed a good-looking blonde nurse on the way who eyed Sirius like a piece of meat. Remus raised an eyebrow as Sirius smirked. “Had him,” Sirius explained.

“Listen, you’re going home. It’s been a long night— what are you doing?” Sirius reached into the recesses of his trouser pockets and pulled out a tiny bag with two white pills. He popped one into his mouth before Remus could even begin to object.

“Want the other,” Sirius asked, offering up the little pill.

Remus scowled. “You know I don’t.”

“It’s not a needle. Just thought I’d ask.” Remus frowned, which turned deeper as his friend popped the second pill into his mouth and swallowed. “No matter. More for me.”

They continued to walk in silence until they reached the first floor again and stepped up to Lily’s room. Remus was silently seething but didn’t want to make a scene. Sirius had been good all night. Well… decent at least. Remus knew the disappointment in his expression was palpable as they entered Lily’s room.

“Sirius Black, look at what your boy brought me,” Lily demanded with a pleased grin, indicating the flowers on her bedside table. “Did you tell him I liked tulips or was that just a good guess.”

Sirius looked at the bouquet in admiration. “Complete guess I assure you. Well done Charlie.”

Charlie preened at the compliment and Remus eyed him carefully. Perhaps he needed to have a talk with the lad. “Yes well done, Charlie,” Remus repeated. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

Charlie looked up hesitantly but when no one spoke up to oppose the idea, too busy saying heartfelt goodbyes to each other, he stepped out into the hallway with Remus, who shut the door with barely disguised disgust. “Look, you seem like a nice kid. How you got those flowers… I won’t ask. But I feel like I should warn you off of Sirius.”

The redhead scratched the back of his neck. “Why?”

“I love the man, don’t get me wrong. He’s one of my best mates in this whole fucking world, but… people get dragged into his mess of a life sometimes and then he drops them without a second glance. Strange enough as it is to admit, I don’t particularly want to see you get hurt. So I’m warning you now that he’ll be done with you sooner than you might probably like.”

Charlie didn’t even react, but continued to stare at Remus as if he hadn’t said a word. “… And it seems like you don’t care that this was a one-night stand at all, do you?”

Charlie seemed to ponder that for a second before shrugging his shoulders. “Ask me again tomorrow.”

Remus snorted derisively. “I doubt I’ll see you again after tonight.”

Charlie tilted his head to the side in deliberation of that statement. “We’ll see,” Charlie stated with a shit-eating grin that should have set Remus’s teeth on edge, but oddly didn’t.

However, Remus was still taken aback by that announcement. “What do you mean by tha—“

He was interrupted by the swing of the door and out came a slightly more staggery Sirius than the one who entered minutes earlier. His dark-haired friend draped himself over Charlie who caught him eagerly, and then turned his attention to Remus. “He’s a calendar that kid. A great big stopwatch just staring me in the face, you know? Because he get’s older, that’s all Harry can do. Do you know what that means,” Sirius asked turning his attention to Charlie, who hummed in question. “It means I’m getting older.” Sirius frowned and then smiled as another thought entered his mind. “Mind you, they don’t always live.” Remus’s eyes widened in shock as Sirius chuckled darkly. “Meningitis, that’s a good one.”

“Sirius, what have you taken,” Remus asked, suddenly and immensely worried about his friend. “That’s not E. You only took it five minutes ago. What is it?”

“I don’t know,” Sirius said, his eyes drooping. “It was expensive though.”

Remus sighed. “You don’t even know what you’re taking? Sirius, are you alright.”

Sirius smiled dreamily. “I’m great. I feel like a star.” Sirius reached around and pulled Charlie’s face over his shoulder until the redhead’s lips found his own. After a soft kiss that seemed to last far too long, Sirius leaned back and chuckled again. “A star, Remus. Get it?”

“I get it,” Remus said, unamused, and looked at Charlie pointedly. “Listen, why don’t you leave him alone,” he told Sirius. “I’ll take him home.”

Sirius grinned smugly and leaned close to Charlie’s ear, whispering something that Remus couldn’t hear, but from the way Charlie flushed a deep red that practically matched his hair, Remus could guess it had to do with sex.

“I’ll take you home,” Remus told Charlie imploringly, hoping he would take the hint. His friend was not in a good place, clearly.

Charlie and Sirius stared at each other for a long time. Sirius’s gray eyes were practically begging Charlie to go home with him and Remus gaped at his best mate in utter surprise. He’d never seen Sirius beg before.

Charlie smiled warmly back and nodded his head. He then turned to Remus. “I’m going with him,” Charlie said with just the tiniest hint of an apologetic tone.

Sirius grinned so broadly, he looked unhinged. Perhaps he is, Remus pondered.

“Good boy,” Sirius said, before dragging Charlie down the hall and out of sight. Remus just stood there, doing nothing. He didn’t know what to do. Would spending the night with Charlie really be so bad for Sirius? Remus was starting to believe it wouldn’t. He shook his head and promised himself that he would check up on Sirius tomorrow morning. He’d need to drop off the man’s jeep anyway.

Remus let out one final heavy sigh before going back into the room to say good night to Lily and Harry.

***

“What the fuck?!” Sirius looked around his bedroom with nothing short of absolute hatred. At what or who, he did not know.

He felt a stirring from what he guessed was his bedmate last night. Why didn’t I kick him out, Sirius wondered.

A tuft a red hair emerged from the silver silk sheets and from within came an annoyed snuffle. “Ngh— It’s too early,” the voice groaned and flipped over to face away from Sirius.

Sirius glanced over at the alarm clock on his bedside table. “It’s half eight.”

Wide blue eyes, the bluest Sirius had ever witnessed in his life, emerged from the confines of Sirius’s luxurious bed. “Shit!” The boy scrambled off the mattress and began frantically searching for his clothes. “Shit, shit, fucking bloody shit!”

Sirius smirked at the young man’s vulgar words and he watched with interest as the ginger tried to pull on a pair of Sirius’s trousers in his haste. As Sirius was a bit thinner and shorter, plus he was prone to wearing quite slim pants anyway, the redhead was having a tough time of it. The pants stopped halfway up his leg and the kid lost his balance falling back onto the bed ungracefully. Sirius chuckled until he caught sight of his walls and windows again and frowned. “What the fuck is that,” Sirius demanded of the boy, indicating the graffiti.

His bedmate swiveled his head immediately and snorted. “You kept going on about it being your family tree. Not sure how that’s possible.”

Sirius squinted his eyes at the offending paint job trying to figure out what his drugged out self was thinking when he painted the abstract swirls and dots. Ah. Stars and constellations of the night sky. Of course I’d consider that my family tree. Better than the real thing anyway.

“Well fuck,” Sirius cursed once more. “I just had those windows cleaned. Edie’s going to bugger me a new asshole when she sees that.” Then he shrugged and hopped out of bed, heading for the living room. “WHAT THE FUCK?!”

The redhead scrambled out of the bedroom in only his pants at Sirius’s proclamation with even wider eyes than earlier. “What is it?”

Sirius indicated what once was his priceless dining set with a sweep of his hands. “WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS THAT?!”

The boy (and Sirius really needed to remember his name, because it was oddly bugging him more than the sight of his table) winced and rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Well, you were adamant about creating a time machine of some sort. You got it into your head to convert your wooden dining table into a box, like the Doctor’s TARDIS. You just kept going on and on about wishing you were sixteen again, and I kept telling you that time machines don’t actually make you younger. You could go back in time but you’d still be the same age as you are now. And sixteen ain’t all that great anyway.”

Sirius couldn’t stop himself from gaping at this kid who he had apparently burdened with his deepest fear. And he was only sixteen years old? Fuck.

“And so then you said, ‘Well I’ll just have to create a time machine that turns me young again.’ Next thing I know you whip out some nails and a hammer from the cupboards and I wasn’t about to step in your way. Sorry.”

Sirius had the urge to reply with an easy, “That’s alright, I don’t blame you,” but prevented himself from doing that when he realized just how mental that would sound. Instead he mumbled to himself, “Why does nobody ever stop me?” He saw the kid flinch out of the corner of his eye and almost apologized. Okay. I’ve gone mad, Sirius decided.

Sirius’s eyes once again traveled his flat and stumbled onto a miniature figurine on his coffee table. He stepped up to it and analyzed the little trinket. A smile graced his face for something he couldn’t remember. And why couldn’t he remember? He was growing very frustrated now. “What’s this?”

Sirius felt the boy hesitantly step up beside him. “I think that’s the thing you bragged about whittling for Harry. It’s supposed to be a stag.”

Harry! “Oh fuck,” Sirius sighed as the events of the night before came rushing back to him.

Charlie (that was his name!) plucked his trousers from the back of the sofa with an amused grin that had Sirius thinking back to how he fucked this young man over the armchair. And on the sheepskin rug. And against the pinball machine. Sirius blinked. He was surprised he got any sleep at all.

“Listen I got to get to school,” Charlie said as he pulled on trousers that actually fit his long legs. “It’s all the way uptown so I should probably—“

“I’ll drive you,” Sirius interrupted.

Charlie stared at Sirius like he had grown two heads. “Really?”

No, not really. I was kidding. Get out of here. These were all things Sirius should have said, but instead he went with, “Sure.”

Charlie opened his mouth, presumably to thank Sirius (or tell him to “fuck off”), but his eyes suddenly focused and he said, “Your friend still has the jeep.”

It was the perfect excuse to say, “Oh well, enjoy the train,” and move on with his life like normal, but it was becoming exceedingly clear to Sirius that he was, in fact, fecking losing it. “Ah Remus. I’ll just give him a ring.”

Sirius walked over to the kitchen, feeling Charlie’s incredulous gaze on the back of his head, and picked up the phone from its receiver, punching Remus’s speed dial number, which was “1” of course. His friend answered on the third ring, which meant Sirius had woken him up. That, combined with last night’s abhorrent drug use, lead Sirius to conclude that Remus was just going to kill him. “Hey get up. You have to take me to work.” There was no way he was mentioning the kid until after Remus arrived. The man was bound to be upset enough as it was.

“Fuck off,” Remus replied succinctly, a hint of sleep still in his voice.

Sirius smiled. He wasn’t too upset then. “We’ll meet you out front in ten.”

“Ugh, fine,” Remus groaned and Sirius could hear the rustle of sheets that indicated Remus was exiting his bed. “Wait— we? What do you mean by w—”

Sirius hung up immediately and grimaced down at his phone. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Why did he say “we”? Sirius spun around at the sound of bare feet on the his hardwood floor and watched as Charlie half-consciously buttoned up his white collared shirt. Sirius wanted to rip that shirt right back off that lean body and ravage Charlie like he had done the night before. And he felt pretty confident he’d never once had thoughts like that the morning after.

“Is he coming,” Charlie asked.

“He’ll be here,” Sirius said with a casual wave of his hand. Eventually, he silently added.

Sirius strode to the kitchen, picked up a half-empty bottle of scotch, and inspected it. He took a big whiff and was proud to say it only made him want to chunder a little.

“Sirius,” Charlie spoke up from his spot upon the ground where he was pulling on a pair of socks and lacing up his oxfords. Was he really wearing those last night, Sirius asked himself, in shock that he hadn’t noticed the schoolboy shoes earlier. Then Charlie’s sky blue irises greeted him and Sirius remembered what distracted him from everything else.

“Hmm?”

Charlie smirked, and Sirius was again surprised to learn he wasn’t annoyed by it. “Clothes?”

Sirius looked down at his pantsless self and grinned. “You have a point. Are you sure you aren’t a genius?”

Charlie only smiled and Sirius was struck by how innocent he looked while kneeling on the floor. When Charlie stood up to his full height, it was hard to remember that he was only sixteen years old.

Sirius left the boy to get ready for the day. He splashed his face with cold water, brushed his teeth quickly and ran a dollop of gel through his hair to tame the curls. From his wardrobe, he pulled out a striped collared dress shirt (and no it wasn’t the same color as Charlie’s eyes, shut up) and a dark pair of gray trousers. He slipped on a pair of shiny black Tom Ford lace-ups and gave one last cocky smirk at his appearance in the mirror before rejoining Charlie back in the living room. He pulled two apples from the fridge and tossed one to Charlie before telling him to follow him downstairs. Remus pulled up in front of his building just as they arrived. 

“Oh fuck,” Sirius huffed out at the appearance of his jeep. He scrunched up his face to keep from both screaming at the world for its stupidity and from laughing at the picture this created when he thought about dropping Charlie off at school in this.

Remus emerged from the driver’s side spouting off apologies. “The kids in the neighborhood got to it. Fucking stupid little buggers. This is your fault you know?” Remus’s accusatory gaze landed on Sirius who held up his hands in mock surrender. Remus sighed. “You just had to prove a point.”

“If you don’t say anything, they never learn,” Sirius reminded him. “It was just a harmless kiss in front of those homophobic teenagers. I didn’t think they’d retaliate like this. Fuckers.”

In red spray paint across the side of his beloved black jeep was one word: Queers.

Sirius’s silver eyes flew to his left where Charlie was staring at the side of the jeep with his mouth agape and Sirius had to bite his lower lip to keep from bursting into hysterical laugher. Remus caught the direction of his gaze and frowned at the redhead. 

“What is he doing here,” Remus asked Sirius.

“We’re taking him to school, of course,” Sirius replied easily and with a giddy clap of his hands he made his way to the driver’s side door and took his rightful place behind the wheel. “Well… get in,” Sirius demanded of Remus and Charlie.

“You’re going to take me to school in this?”

Sirius looked across the passenger’s seat and out the window to where Charlie was still staring at the word with apprehensive eyes. Sirius frowned. “Do you have a problem with that?”

Sky blue met pale gray with more determination than Sirius had ever seen before. On anyone. “Nope.” Charlie smiled wickedly and that made Sirius grin in return. He hardly noticed his best friend sighing heavily and folding up the front seat so Charlie could get in the back.

Once everyone was situated, Sirius turned up the radio and drove, his heart soaring for the first time since James died. Heading upstate on a beautiful Monday morning with his sulking best mate in the passenger seat and a steely-faced teenager in the back would never be considered a common occurrence, but this was the most normal Sirius had felt in months. He was hungover and exhausted and dreading work, but the smile on his lips felt real for the first time in ages. Did he really want this to be over so soon?

It wasn’t long before Charlie’s directions brought them to the outskirts of his school building. Sirius couldn’t help but feel annoyed that they hadn’t been seen by any of his schoolmates and when the long pathway that lead up to the front doors came into view, a brash idea entered his mind. There was a Queen song on the radio and he turned up the volume until he would no longer be able to hear Charlie’s inevitable protestations, before veering onto the pathway that had probably never been driven on before. Students of all ages and genders scrambled out of the way and Sirius laughed and laughed. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Remus chuckling as well and that only made Sirius laugh harder. The end of the path came into view and Sirius stepped hard on the brakes, his tires squealing across the cobblestone road, before abruptly stopping in the middle of the courtyard.

The remnants of “I Want to Break Free” blasted through the speakers and the three men let it. Finally, Remus lowered the volume to almost nothing. “You are mental,” Remus disparaged, but his smile ruined the disappointed affect and Sirius ended up taking it as a compliment.

Sirius winked. “I know. Well off you go then, lad,” Sirius encouraged to the boy in the back. “Learning awaits.”

Charlie seemed to be on autopilot as he exited the vehicle once Remus pushed forward his seat again. “Charlie,” Remus said suddenly as the seat fell back to its upright position once more.

Charlie turned away from all the stares of his fellow students and looked at Remus. “Yeah?”

Sirius watched as Remus eyed the redhead carefully. “It’s tomorrow. So I’m asking again.”

Sirius raised a curious brow, but didn’t interrupt the moment as turquoise met chocolate with contemplation. Charlie quirked his head to the side.

“Charlie,” someone called from the steps and Sirius looked over to see who would dare intervene on such a mysterious and interesting interaction between Charlie and Remus. She was a pretty young thing with wild pink hair and over her shoulder was an extra book bag that seemed much too large for her and a red and gold tie. He guessed that she had been waiting for Charlie.

Charlie, however, ignored her and turned his attention to Sirius. He rounded the car to the drivers’ side, leaned down, and crossed his arms on the open window. “Will I see you again?”

Sirius leaned forward like he was going in for a kiss and then brought his apple between their mouths crunching down on it’s crisp peel.

“Sirius,” Charlie warned, and the frustrated groan of his own name out of the mouth of this kid had Sirius seriously considering answering Charlie’s question in the affirmative. But he couldn’t. “Will I see you again,” Charlie demanded again. As it turns out, Sirius couldn’t answer in the negative either.

Remus hopped back in and slammed the door shut. “Could you drop me off at work,” Remus asked.

“Answer me. Sirius Black?”

He’d never been struck speechless before. It was an uncomfortable feeling and, like any time he felt uncomfortable, his smarmy mask of indifference took over his facial features. Sirius smirked and put the car into reverse. He stepped on the gas and Charlie shook his head as his arms fell from the open window. “I’ll see you again,” Charlie affirmed, his voice carrying across the courtyard and reaching Sirius. Charlie jutted out his chin with so much confidence, Sirius was obliged to believe him. So he didn’t reply with a “No you won’t,” like he was normally wont to do.

Sirius reversed the whole way off the school’s grounds without looking back, his gaze firmly on Charlie’s shrinking figure. He felt a slight dip as the curb ended and knew that it was time to turn around now. Sirius felt the urge to stay and it was a strong one. For the first time in his whole life, Sirius wanted to exit his jeep and sprint toward someone. Then he would snog the daylights out of him in front of all these people. The vision was tempting and that fact alone was upsetting. What was happening to him? With one final push of his mind, he twisted the steering wheel to the right so that the whole school could see the word “Queers” once more before he left. His gaze finally left Charlie’s and like a spell had been broken, he was able to put the jeep into drive and leave uptown Manchester. He didn’t look back.

With each kilometer further from a certain redhead, Sirius felt his smile grow weaker until it was gone altogether. It was then that Remus finally spoke up.

“Padfoot.”

“Oh you’re using my childhood nickname,” Sirius noticed. “This must be serious.”

Remus hummed in agreement. “You didn’t say ‘no’.”

“Hmm?” Sirius didn’t even know why he was playing dumb, because that act certainly never worked on Remus.

“Are you going to see him again,” Remus asked.

Sirius snorted. “Of course not.”

Remus was clearly unconvinced. “Then why didn’t you say ‘no’ when he asked if he would.”

Sirius turned into the ASDA where Remus worked as a manager without answering. When he came to a stop, he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel trying to come up with a response that made sense, but he honestly didn’t have one. So Sirius just shrugged and flashed Remus his signature smirk. “Don’t know.”

Remus huffed in mock annoyance, shaking his head. “Well, I think all you did was get yourself a stalker.”

Sirius’s smirk turned into a genuine smile at that and he laughed. “Delightful, isn’t it?”

Remus hung his head in dismay. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand you.”

Sirius turned toward his best mate until they were facing directly opposite each other. “Well that’s worrying.”

“Oh?”

“If you of all people don’t understand me, then no one ever will.”

***

Charlie stood watching the spot where the jeep had disappeared for a long time. He didn’t notice the stares or the pointing or the whispers. He didn’t notice much of anything really. His mind was filled with only one question: Was it all a dream?

“Charlie? Earth to Charlie.” A hand waved in front of his face and he was effectively pulled out of his trance.

“Tonks.”

Tonks smirked up at him, her green eyes so wide with amusement they hurt to look at. “Who was that,” she asked as she roped his tie around his neck and slung his bag over his shoulder. Charlie thanked his early-morning self for having the foresight to call his best friend and have her pick up his things and give an excuse to his parents as to his whereabouts that morning. He was certain she did a wonderful job.

Charlie smiled down at her and knotted his tie with expert hands, before he once again looked down the lane where the first man he’d ever been with disappeared moments ago.

“Charlie who was that?”

Charlie’s eyes remained on the spot in the distance when he answered. “I don’t know really. But I’m going to find out.”

***

Sirius Black. 

It was an unusual name to say the least. According to the man, everyone in his family was named after the stars. Orion. Regulus. Bellatrix. Alphard. Arcturus. Draco. Cygnus. Pollux. Considering no one had ever had the pleasure of meeting his family, most thought he made all these names up. When asked why they thought he might do such a thing, they would say, “To make himself seem more mysterious and important.” Since he named himself after the dog star, the brightest star you can see from Earth, one could see their point. However, whether he made up the name Sirius or not is quite inconsequential, for the man happened to live up to it. Fake or real, it was certainly a fitting moniker.

Sirius was a dog. He was a sexual being who could pull any bloke he set his sights on, and you felt lucky when those sights landed on you. Being with Sirius Black was practically legendary, the lovable fucker that he was.

And Sirius was also the brightest star in any room in which he found himself. The minute he stepped into the club, his smile shined so brilliantly it was practically blinding. Love him or leave him, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t notice him.

There were many men that flitted in and out of Sirius’s bedroom and all of them had the greatest night of their lives. It had always been enough for them. One night and then it was over, each bloke leaving with a story to tell their mates. 

Yes, Sirius Black had had many men, but there was one that refused to be just one of the many. He wanted to be the last.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N- If you clicked on this wondering where Chapter 26 of Draco Sirius Black is, it will probably be out next Monday. This weekend, I just really wanted to write a more dysfunctional, vulgar, fucked up, and nonmagical version of Sirius, Remus, and Charlie. So here you go.
> 
> Also, I wanted to mention that I was very disappointed to see that they took Queer as Folk (UK) off of amazon prime video. I really wanted to watch it again, but I have zero intention of actually paying for it.
> 
> If you didn’t know, this fic is loosely based on the British dramedy gold that is Queer as Folk which I fell in love with when I binged it all in one night last year. Because of this, however, I have no idea if you’re going to enjoy this piece of writing if you haven’t watched the show. These characters are sort of the amalgamation of the ones from the Harry Potter universe and the terrible shitty people they are based on from Queer as Folk. And while I think it works quite well actually, I have a feeling Sirius and Remus might be a little out of character for some of you. I get it if that’s not your thing. I will say, if you haven’t seen Queer as Folk, but you still want to read this fic, please note that this is only the second chapter. As the show goes on Stuart, Vince and Nathan actually grow and change. So will Sirius, Remus, and Charlie in this story. They won’t always be awful human beings. Technically, they aren’t really all that awful right now. They just act terribly from time to time.
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter if you can, please. I’d love to know what you think so I have an idea for how to go about the next chapters. Thanks.

Buzz… buzz buzz…

Sirius lifted his head from where it had previously been squashed face-down into the comfort of his waterfowl down pillow. Based on the amount of sunlight that filtered through his eyelids, it must have been almost midday. Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose and stifled a groan.

His head hurt. His feet hurt more. But the pain in his ass reminded Sirius that it had probably all been worth it. He blinked open an eyelid to find himself sandwiched between two blokes that Sirius couldn’t help but compare to the likes of David Beckham and Leonardo Dicraprio. Well I certainly did well for myself last night, Sirius mused, his subsequent smile making his head twinge in pain and he winced.

Buzz buzz… Buzzzzzzzz….

“Leo” twitched in his sleep and shifted closer to Sirius, who was not opposed to the intrusion until another noisy sound of the buzzer had Sirius sighing in annoyance and extracting himself none-too-delicately from the bed, jostling the two men awake in his irritation.

But instead of making his way to the front door where the persistent guest was still punching that damn buzzer every thirty seconds, Sirius headed to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Whoever it was could wait until he was clean.

With a towel wrapped around his waist and another drying his hair, Sirius strode out his front door, down the lift and to the main entrance of his building, wrenching the door open with enough force to rip it from his hinges.

“Oh.”

The young blonde in front of him twisted around and eyed his state of undress with mild amusement and contempt.

“Really, Sirius? What if I had been Aunt Walburga?”

Sirius snorted then. “Then Hell would have surely frozen over, Cissy, and when I died of shock I would have been able to go to Heaven with the rest of you saints.”

Narcissa’s lips quirked up despite herself and then her eyes widened in surprise as “David” stepped up behind Sirius and squeezed past. “See you tonight?”

“I’ll be there,” Sirius said, confirming that he would be at Canal Street again, but it was highly unlikely he would run into the footballer doppleganger… or acknowledge the man’s presence if he did. But “David” accepted that answer with a wink and a smile as if Sirius had promised him a night on the Themes.

Next, “Leo” strutted out, his button up still open to reveal his bare chest. He threw a flirty, “Later, Sirius,” over his shoulder as he strode in the opposite direction as “David”. Sirius didn’t even warrant that with a response and returned his attention to his baby cousin.

Narcissa shook her head. “What if I had literally been anyone else?”

“Anyone else as in my friends who all know I’m queer? Or anyone else as in my family who haven’t set foot on this island since I graduated from Hogwarts and decided to join the RAF? I really don’t think I have anything to worry about, do you,” Sirius asked rhetorically, promptly turning away and heading back inside.

Narcissa charged in after him, shutting the front door with a roll of her eyes. “I just thought you’d be more cautious is all?” Sirius guffawed as he stepped back on the lift, side-eyeing his young cousin with a face that was clearly heavy with skepticism. Narcissa sighed. “Okay, so maybe not cautious, but opening the door in a towel flanked by two gorgeous blokes is practically flaunting it. I thought you never wanted Uncle and Auntie to find out.”

The lift opened on his floor and he stepped back into his flat. “I don’t,” Sirius finally answered, making his way down the hallway to his bedroom so he could put on some clothes. “They don’t care about me, so they don’t deserve to know who I truly am. And if they found out about my being a poof that would just give them another reason to disown me. Their backup son is just waiting in the wings to claim the lordship—“

“I thought you didn’t want it,” Narcissa’s voice interrupted behind him and Sirius turned around to see his normally regal cousin leaning casually against his doorframe

Sirius shrugged. “I probably don’t,” he acquiesced, returning his attention to his wardrobe and selecting a pair of gray pants, a tight, navy pair of jeans, and a distressed band tee that he only wore during Doctor Who marathons with Remus or when he was trying to make his family uncomfortable. He slipped off his towel and smiled when he heard Narcissa unsuccessfully try to stifle a gasp behind him at the sight of his bare ass. After he snapped his boxer briefs into place, he turned around again. “But just because I don’t want to be Lord of Bum-fuck, Ireland, doesn’t mean I’m going to make it easy on them.”

Narcissa huffed and opened her mouth to most likely berate him with some nonsense about familial responsibility, but Sirius interrupted her before she could utter a sound. “Now, Cis, what brings you to this lovely country. News of home, I assume. They do know I have a telephone, right?”

Whenever a member of his family had “important” news to share with Sirius that couldn’t wait for one of the two mandatory holidays he had to spend in Ireland throughout the year to tell him, they would always send Narcissa to calmly persuade him to return home. The last time was when Grandfather Arcturus passed away. Sirius didn’t need any coaxing into attending that particular funeral however. That man had been a father to Sirius more than his own had, so the week leading up to their departure back to Ireland, instead of Narcissa trying to convince him to come home, the two cousins threw a massive party that Remus claimed didn’t end until three days after they left. Cissy had puked the entire short plane trip across the narrow sea and they found out later it wasn’t because of the hangover. Six months later, Draco was born. That had been four years ago.

Sirius pulled on his jeans and t-shirt as he waited for Narcissa to announce another wedding or funeral he had no desire to attend, but would most likely be convinced into making an appearance at anyway, if only to see three-year-old Draco again. However, after a long bout of silence, Sirius realized no such message was forthcoming and he glanced up to see Narcissa Malfoy nee Black standing ramrod straight and nervously chewing her lip.

“Oh God, what is it,” Sirius demanded, stepping up to his cousin, clasping her forearms, and forcing her attention on him. “What’s wrong? It’s not Reg is it?” His brother may be a prat beyond words, but if he had to attend his little brother’s funeral after everything that had happened this year, he would just have to jump off the London Tower.

“No, no,” she assured him, her eyes tearing up and Oh shit this must be really bad! “No, it’s me.”

Sirius could feel all the blood leave his body. No. “What? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you dying?” Sirius inspected his cousin from head to toe but she looked perfectly normal, the only thing out of place was the single strand of hair that had escaped her bun from the traveling and the shine that lined her eyes with tears that threatened to spill.

“No, I’m fine Sirius—“

“Oh god, is it Draco. Is he alright? Did that bastard Lucius do something to him? Or is it Lucius? Is he dying? I’ll care for your sake if he is.”

“We’re getting a divorce!”

The sudden wail had Sirius standing frozen in place as his baby cousin cried right in front of him. It took a while for her words to actually reach his brain, but when they did, he dropped her arms and breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank God.”

Narcissa was practically hysterical now, her whole body shaking with sobs, but his words must have set her off for she screamed, “This is serious!”

Sirius raised an eyebrow, slightly unnerved but mostly angry that his cousin was still crying like the world was ending. “No… Serious is if your son is dying or you got diagnosed with cancer. Serious is if Bella and that dimwit husband of hers are finally having some kind of demonspawn. Serious is if Lucius is an abusive arse— He’s not beating you, right Narcissa?”

The blonde gasped through her tears. “Of course not!”

“Well then, what the fecking hell is your problem?! I nearly had a heart attack,” Sirius yelled, finally turning away from her and pacing the length of his bedroom, rubbing his face as he tried to keep his anger at bay.

Three hours later, Sirius and Narcissa were eating Indian take-away on the sofa, their feet resting on the coffee table, with the telly turned to some sitcom that neither was paying attention to, while they discussed the impending divorce Narcissa and Lord Malfoy.

“I just fear father won’t let me,” Narcissa admitted, spooning in another mouthful of curry. “You know how excited he was that I was marrying a Lord and joining our houses.”

“Jesus Christ, it’s like we’re in medieval times,” Sirius muttered. “Look, Cis, he’ll get over it. And if he doesn’t, well fuck Uncle Cygnus. He’s a right prat anyway.”

Narcissa rolled her eyes and sighed, setting down her take away container and turning her body with her feet curled up under herself to face Sirius dead on. Sirius couldn’t help but be reminded of the fourteen year old Narcissa Black who ran away from home ten years ago. The only person whose number she knew that lived in England at the time was Sirius’s, and that was how he and James ended up housing a young teenager for a whole summer. The family was furious. Sirius smiled at the memory. “I just wish I could have fallen in love with him, you know?”

Sirius huffed out a laugh. “I completely understand not being able to choose who you love… or don’t,” he admitted before stuffing his face with a piece of naan so he wouldn’t have to elaborate further. It should be fairly obvious what he meant by that anyway and Narcissa nodded her head in understanding as she took a sip of her water.

“I just assumed that was it for me,” she continued. “A loveless marriage, but at least he brought me Draco. I never thought Lucius would even consider a divorce. But one night, we had Miss Debbie take Draco up to bed and we were alone in front of the empty fireplace. The only sounds were of the ticking grandfather clock and Debbie’s retreating steps and whispered cooing. And I looked over at Lucius and he looked over at me. And we just knew. This wasn’t enough. For either of us.”

Sirius set down his own meal and twisted his body to face Narcissa. “You’re going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay.”

Narcissa looked up and grimaced. “I hope so.”

“Next time you visit, you should bring Draco,” Sirius declared, casually leaning back against the couch cushions again.

“And where would he sleep then,” Narcissa countered with a snort.

Sirius smirked and he hopped up from the sofa and dragged Narcissa behind him as he strutted toward a door. He flung it open to reveal a nursery. “Ta-da!”

The blonde blinked and looked up at Sirius in complete surprise. “Sirius, are you a father?”

Sirius genuinely laughed at that. “No. But I am a Godfather now. Lils had a baby boy last week. Name’s Harry.”

“Aww,” Narcissa cooed. “Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Do you think they’ll be friends?”

“Depends how often you visit,” Sirius pointed out.

Narcissa smiled softly and pulled her cousin into a tight hug. They’d only embraced like this twice in their lives, but for Sirius, hugging Narcissa was as easy and natural as breathing. He curled his arms protectively around her and made his baby cousin one last promise. “If things go wrong when you tell the family, I’ll be here. We can be outcasts together.”

He could feel, rather than see, Narcissa smile against his shoulder and he squeezed her tighter. When the landline’s high pitched ring echoed around the loft, Sirius wasn’t sure if he was grateful or disappointed that it ruined the moment with his closest family member.

Sirius and Narcissa untangled themselves and the former shuffled into the kitchen to pick up the receiver. “Sirius Black,” he announced. “Hey Peter… no I already ate, why?… Oh well actually I have plans tonight… yeah, Magic! again… No one says you have to come Pete. I know you don’t like it, but that’s where I’m going, so… Yeah, sure, some other time then… bye.” 

Sirius hung up and sighed regretfully. Peter Pettigrew had been the fourth student in their little dormitory back at Hogwarts, a boarding school located up north in Scotland, and the four of them had been inseparable since day one and well until after they graduated and went their separate ways. But Pete took James’s death even harder than Sirius did. James Potter wasn’t just Peter’s friend but his idol and while Remus and Sirius were Peter’s mates, without James there to show Peter how to act, the shorter man took to the old prejudices his parents had forced on him as a child like a horse to water. He’d been trying to make up for it lately, especially with his idol’s son about to be born, but it still wasn’t enough for Sirius. His friend had said some pretty rotten things to him and Remus after James’s funeral, and their relationship with the man had become stilted. He doubted they would ever return to the way things were, but then again, nothing could be the same after the hole James Potter’s death left in their lives. This was just how it was now.

“Is Magic! a club?”

Sirius shook himself from his reverie and focused on Narcissa. “Yeah, why?”

“Can I come with?”

Hell now.

“Uhh…”

***

“… in development, but I’m not so sure the area is suited for families. I doubt it will be well received by the general public…”

Charlie picked at his mother’s casserole and pretended to listen to his father’s boss as he ranted about the new estate they were planning for West Manchester. His brain was filled with places he would much rather be at and people he’d much rather be with on this Friday night. Plainly, Charlie Weasley was bored out his mind and itching to track down the man who had consumed his thoughts this past week. He’d vowed that they would meet again and he thoroughly planned on keeping that promise

It had been an interesting week of classes as Charlie waited with clenched teeth for the rumors to die down. Some of his classmates even had the audacity to ask in frankly unfriendly ways about his sexual preferences. Rather than answer, Charlie would just stare at them unblinking until they tired and let him be. Thankfully, his older brother had practically been a legend at the prep school Charlie now attended, and much of that popularity had been handed down to Charlie after Bill graduated. Because of this, most of the students considered the rumors to be complete works of fiction. Technically, there was no proof that Charlie arrived on campus in the back seat of a jeep with the word “Queers” painted in red letters across the side. Or that he had asked the driver repeatedly if he would see him again. Still, many found it hard to believe that someone could make something like that up, and those that were actually there knew the truth. Charlie found himself not caring what anyone thought really. These people could make his life a living hell, but they could have always done that if they wanted. He had plenty of other things his classmates could harass him for, like how poor his family was, for instance.

But the fact that Tonks hadn’t brought it up once this week is what really bothered Charlie. While Charlie was grateful for the silence, it had started to irk him that his best friend had continued on like nothing had changed. Like Charlie hadn’t changed.

He was different now. Wasn’t he?

“… according to my advisor— you’ve met Umbridge, right Weasley? Anyway, she tells me the estate’s location is far too close to this Canal Street. And while I agree that the nightlife there is unfortunate, I can’t argue with the acreage…”

Charlie’s hand clenched tightly around his fork at Mr. Fudge’s swift mention of the place that he’d been thinking about for the past five days and his jaw set with a tension that hadn’t been their previously. Thankfully neither Fudge nor his family were paying any attention to him, as always, and he let out a slow breath to calm himself.

Glancing down the table he watched Fred and George subtly swap their vegetables, Fred getting all the carrots and George getting the broccoli, the twins once again reminding everyone that they perfectly complimented one another. Across from them little Ron was transferring his veggies to Percy’s plate while the older brother was dutifully paying attention to Fudge. Just as he was sliding the last bit of broccoli off his plate, his blue eyes caught Charlie’s own and he froze. Charlie raised a brow and smirked. Ron grinned and brought a finger to his lips. Charlie nodded his head like they were in collusion together and The Great Vegetable Emancipation went off without a hitch. Across from Charlie, squashed between Percy and their mum, sat the youngest of the Weasleys. The five-year-old had her chin resting on an open palm and her chestnut-colored eyes were glazed over with boredom. Charlie commiserated with Ginny whole-heartedly.

Tapping his finger on the handle of his fork, Charlie seriously considered making a break for it. It was entirely unfair that the seven Weasley children— six, now that Bill was on the other side of the country (the lucky prick)— had to be subjected to this kind of mundane torture once a month. It had started as a simple gesture of good faith by Arthur Weasley to his new boss and was now an excruciating tradition that even Arthur and Molly seemed to dread. The only people who looked even remotely excited for these monthly dinners was Percy and Fudge himself. The rest suffered through the slow monotony of the night with a forced smile.

Well, I think I’ll just leave. Sorry family, but I’m certain I’ll slit my wrists if I have to sit through this a second longer.

“Oh bollocks,” Charlie shouted, shooting up from his seat with exaggerated panic. “I’m sorry Mr. Fudge, I completely forgot that I told my friend Tonks that I would help her with her Maths tonight. Her parents are out of town on business and I was supposed to order her takeaway.”

“Oh, poor dear, she must be starving,” his mother proclaimed, snapping out of her chair and dashing to the kitchen just as Charlie knew she would. Molly Weasley adored Tonks, but thought poorly of her parents, who were always leaving their daughter alone while they were away on business, both in pharmaceutical sales. Charlie actually liked Tonks’s parents a lot, as they were always hospitable when Charlie came round. And frankly, he thought Tonks was more than capable of taking care of herself during those weekend retreats, but he let his mother think he agreed with her about Andy Tonks’s lack of homemaking abilities, because that meant a free hot meal and a slice of pie of some kind. Molly did not disappoint as a tupperware container was thrust into Charlie’s waiting hands, complete with leftover casserole and two slices of peach cobbler fresh from the oven. “There you are dear.”

“Thanks Mum,” Charlie said, leaning down to kiss his mother on the cheek before turning to his father and Mr. Fudge. “I apologize for interrupting our meal. It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Fudge, but I really should go,” Charlie announced, flashing a strained smile at the boisterous CEO of Minestar Home and Development Company before hastily making his retreat. He could feel the glares of four tiny redheads on his back, but he didn’t stop moving, throwing on a pair of shoes and grabbing his coat on the way out the door. “Don’t wait up,” he called over his shoulder before briskly exiting the Weasley house and crossing the street to the Tonks residence.

Charlie felt like he could breath again as he went around the back and scaled the trellis that lead to Tonks’s open window on the first floor. He snuck inside to find a pajama-clad Tonks seated at her desk eating chow mien from the carton and reading from her history text book, the Goo Goo Doll’s Iris blaring from the headphones around her neck.

“Still with that American shite,” Charlie inquired, and watched as Tonks practically jumped out of her skin as she whirled around in her desk chair.

“Charlie!” Tonks clutched at her heart presumably to stop it’s thunderous pounding and Charlie smirked down at her before rushing to her wardrobe and shuffling through her clothes. “What are you doing here— actually scratch that. What are you doing in my wardrobe?”

Charlie turned around baring a tight yellow and black dress that he remembered Tonks buying at the shops at the beginning of the summer and promptly hiding in her closet to never be seen again. He rushed forward and shoved the dress against her. “Come with me,” he said plainly, staring into her eyes, willing for her to understand all the things he wanted to say.

“Where— Ugh, Charlie, what are you doing now?”

Charlie rushed to her dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer. “I know I left it here,” Charlie muttered as he rummaged through her clothes. “I couldn’t find it in mine— aha!” Charlie pulled out a bright blue t-shirt with a small gold lion on the pocket and swiftly removed the red collared dress shirt he was wearing previously to replace it with the tightly-fitted blue number that perfectly matched his eyes.

“Charlie— Charlie!” Tonks’s hand closed around his forearm and he looked over at her, his eyes wide with mirth and his smile full of elation with just the smallest hint of anxiety.

“What?”

Tonks released his arm and looked up at her friend curiously. She squinted her eyes turning them into two narrow slits of green. “Should I put my hair up or leave it down?”

Charlie released the breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding and engulfed his friend in his arms, resting his lips on her forehead and sighing in relief. “Down,” he answered when he pulled back. “We’re going dancing.”

Tonks’s lips lifted at the corners and she rushed to her en suite bathroom to get ready. Within seconds she had returned wearing the black and yellow dress that hugged her curves perfectly. Her hot pink hair was slightly curled at the ends and her eyelashes were long and full. She looked gorgeous.

Charlie grabbed her hand and dragged her down the stairs and toward the kitchen where he put the tupperware dish in the cooler.

“Was that your mum’s peach cobbler,” Tonks marveled, her eyes wide with want.

“We can have it when we get back. Now come on,” Charlie said, resuming his hold on Tonks and dragging her out of her house and toward the train station.

They had made it just in time before the door to their carriage closed and Tonks giggled breathily as the train started making it’s way west. She leaned into Charlie who caught her, his smile bright in the dull lighting of the train carriage. Around them, he noticed people grinning at the happy “couple” and Charlie couldn’t help but snort at how wrong they were. And his smile grew wider as he realized how much he no longer cared what strangers assumed about him.

As the train pulled up to the station a block from Canal Street, Charlie motioned for Tonks to exit first and followed dutifully behind her. When they neared the street that began this whole adventure, Charlie stopped in his tracks just to take it all in. It was strange to think how one week could change his entire outlook on something he had kept hidden his whole life.

Tonks pulled up next to him and took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently as if to reassure him that everything was alright. He glanced down at his best friend. “Why didn’t you ask?”

Tonks looked up, a small smirk gracing her features. “Ask what,” she inquired with faux innocence.

“If the rumors were true?”

“What rumors?”

“Tonks,” Charlie warned.

“Why are we here, Charlie?”

Tonks’s word were like a challenge. He realized that the pink-haired girl in front him didn’t want him to answer one of her questions with a simple yes her no. She wanted him to state it completely and of his own accord. He had never loved and hated someone so much in his life as he did this girl in front of him.

Charlie twisted around until he could face Tonks fully and grabbed her other hand, looking down at her from his substantial height. “I wanted you to know, before anyone else. That’s why I brought you here. Because there is no one else I would rather share this part of my life with than you.” When Tonks only smiled wider in response, Charlie snorted and shook his head ruefully. “You’re really going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

Tonks’s eyes widened in mock innocence. “I don’t know what you mean Charlie. I’m just so confused.”

“Tch— Right, fine.” Charlie took a deep breath. “I’m queer.”

Tonks sighed heavily and shook her head in disappointment. “Well I guess we’re not losing our virginities to each other, then.” She smiled once more.

The emotions he felt after hearing her words were scattered and hard to pin down. He wanted to cry with relief and die of embarrassment, but instead his head fell back as he burst into light and bubbly laughter that pierced through all the noise of the busy street. Just as abruptly as the laughter started, it ended, and he pulled Tonks into his arms and buried his face into her neck. “Thank you.”

He felt Tonks wrap her arms around him in return and nod into his shoulder. “It’s alright Charlie. Everything’s going to be alright.”

Charlie sighed contentedly at her words and leaned back. He didn’t even realize he was crying until he wiped below his eyes and felt the wetness that coated his cheeks. “Fuck,” he said, sniffling as he tried to regain his composure. He knew there were people around him who noticed the crying teenager in the middle of the street, but all he was able to see was Nymphadora Tonks, his best friend.

Tonks reached up and wiped away a rogue tear with the pad of her thumb and smiled at him reassuringly. “You’re alright?”

Charlie nodded in response and took a deep breath in order to steady his shaking nerves. “I’ve never said it aloud before.”

Tonks blinked in surprise. “Never?”

Charlie bit his lip and shook his head. “Nope.”

“Wow. Well… then I’m honored.”

“And I’m insulted,” Charlie countered, as he grabbed her hand and started leading her toward one of the clubs. He was fairly certain it wasn’t one of the ones the older man had mentioned during his tirade when Charlie was here last.

Tonks guffawed behind him as she followed Charlie easily. “And just why would you be insulted?”

Charlie smirked and pulled Tonks into an alley next to the entrance of the club Magic! where it was quieter. “Because you seem to be under the illusion that I still think you’re a virgin.”

Tonks snorted and smirked up at him. “Well maybe I am.” Charlie narrowed his eyes and raised one eyebrow. “How could you possibly know—“

“Kingsley Shacklebolt,” Charlie interrupted and Tonks gasped. “Anyone could see it in the way he looked at you over that one family dinner. It was like you hung the moon and stars just for him.”

Tonks groaned in embarrassment. “That dinner was months ago. I can’t believe you’ve known this whole time. Why didn’t you just ask me?”

“I figured there must have been a reason you wanted to keep it a secret,” Charlie replied.

“He’s my Uncle’s employee and quite a few years older than I am, if you didn’t notice.”

Charlie tilted his head in contemplation. “He’s what, twenty?”

“Yeah, exactly. That’s like four years older than me.” Charlie flushed a rather obnoxious shade of scarlet as he considered Sirius’s age. Fuck, he has to be almost thirty. “And could you imagine my Mum’s face if she found out I was with a copper. Probably not as bad as if he was a soldier, but still, right awful.”

Charlie’s mind was suddenly adrift as he considered what Sirius Black did for a living. Considering his trousers, dress shirt, and shoes when he dropped Charlie off at school, it was probably something corporate. And based on his upscale housing and lavish lifestyle, Charlie was certain his career field was quite lucrative. He wondered if he would ever find out what the elusive Sirius Black did during the day. Or if he would even see the man again at all.

“Charles Septimus Weasley!”

Hearing his horrid middle name broke Charlie from his silent freak out and his eyes cleared to find Tonks again. “Hmm?”

“Where were you just now? Was there a cute boy behind me or something? Because you should probably let me know these things so that I can approve or deny them.”

Charlie rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around Tonks’s shoulders, casually leading her into Magic! “How about we get ourselves a few drinks?”

“Are you paying?”

“We’ll see.”

***

Remus walked into Magic! and found Sirius on the second level looking over the dance floor. He sprinted up the steps, holding his phone up. “I got your message. What’s the emergency?”

Sirius blinked and turned his attention to Remus, squinting in confusion. “Oh… right. Nothing to worry about Moony. Everything’s fine.”

It was Remus’s turn to blink. He gaped at the man before him, trying very hard to hold back his anger by clenching his jaw. “Are you joking? Because you better be joking?” When Sirius didn’t crack a grin or give any indication that he cared in the slightest, simply returning his gaze to the writhing bodies in the dance club below, Remus lost it. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Your bloody message was: “999. Meet at Magic! now”. And now you’re telling me I came all this way for no reason! I was on a date, Sirius!”

Sirius grimaced, clapping a hand to Remus’s shoulder and turning sympathetic silver eyes on him. “Sorry it was so awful. Did she do that thing birds do where they order a salad and then eat chips off your plate? I know how much you hate that.”

Remus shrugged his friend’s hand off his shoulder in annoyance and leveled a pointer finger at him. “That—” Remus paused, his pointer finger freezing midair between them. Truth is, she had done that. And, okay, so the date had been awful. He was actually quite grateful for Sirius’s message as it provided him an amazing excuse to leave prematurely… but that wasn’t the point. He decided to explain that to Sirius. “That is not the point.” 

All the heat from his previous tirade was gone, though, and Sirius barely even seemed to acknowledge his sentence, staring once again at the mass of bodies down below, probably searching for his next victim— er, trophy— um… person to sleep with?

Remus sighed running a hand through his light brown hair. “So at least tell me what your message was about, now that I’m here and everything.”

Sirius looked back at Remus, giving him his full attention for the first time since he arrived. “You won’t believe who showed at my door this morning…”

After Sirius explained all that happened with his cousin earlier that day, which admittedly didn’t take long, Sirius concluded his story with, “… and then she somehow weaseled her way into coming out with me and I thought she would be a little much, but after a bit she just up and left me, and I don’t think she’s stopped dancing since.” Sirius tilted his head down to the crowd and Remus followed the trajectory to see Narcissa wedged between two shirtless men dancing to the absolute shit techno music blaring from the speakers.

“Oh god,” Remus groaned.

“Perfect,” Sirius muttered, his tone dark and almost predatory. The dark-haired man wasn’t watching his cousin, Remus noticed (which, in retrospect, was probably a good thing). No, he was looking at a man all alone in the middle of the floor, swaying sexily to the fast beat. Even Remus, who was probably the only straight man in the club, could see how unbelievably good looking this bloke was, something straight out of the films… or a porno. This man had clearly been turning down blokes left and right, many now giving him a wide brith on the floor after being rejected. Sirius narrowed his eyes like he was looking down the scope of a rifle, zeroing in on his target. He had spotted his prey and he was going in for the kill.

Remus didn’t even bother. He knew any further conversation would be fruitless at this point. He simply watched, almost mesmerized, as Sirius stepped down onto the dance floor and saddled up to the most handsome man in the world, leaning in and whispering something in his ear. It was all very sensual, the way Sirius navigated the crowds and stepped into his target’s personal space. Remus had to admit, he had always been fascinated by the way his friend was able to pull any bloke he wanted. It was a gift, truly.

“You have got to be kidding me…”

Remus glanced to his left where one of the regulars of the club, an old acquaintance of Sirius’s and Remus’s named Grayson, stood watching in awe as Sirius leaned away from the man’s ear and grinned, looking pleased when the man became the to lean towards him to whisper something back. Eventually the two men seemed to become one, drawing close together, letting their hips sway to the same rhythm.

Grayson snorted. “I’ve been watching that godlike piece of man turn away blokes all night. What exactly is Sirius whispering to them? It always works, the fucker.”

Remus smirked. Grayson was not an ugly man. He had shaggy blonde hair that probably belonged more on the beaches of Malibu then in the dreary gray nothing that was Manchester. His eyes were a very nice blue and he just looked pleasant all around. He was a catch, but in a way that lent to a longer relationship, a man to take home to your liberal Mum. No one’s asking Grayson to fuck them in a back alley. Remus personally didn’t think that was a bad thing, though.

“I don’t know what he says,” Remus admitted. “I’ve never been on the receiving end myself, you know.”

Grayson sighed. “Yeah, me neither,” he grumbled.

Remus took a deep breath, suddenly very thirsty. “I need a drink.”

“A’right, later mate.”

Remus managed to find a seat at the crowded bar after a large group of men Remus recognized tossed him a wave and headed down to the club. Remus waved back and settled into his seat. He cracked his neck and sighed heavily before resting his elbow on the counter and looking out at the men and women that littered Magic!. He was here so often now, this place had practically become his second home. Considering he was a heterosexual male in his late twenties, perhaps his fondness for this gay club was just a little unusual. But sod it. He felt comfortable here. He had friends here.

“What’ll it be, love? On the house.”

Remus twisted around to face the pretty female bartender with a raised eyebrow. “On the house?”

“Just don’t tell the boss,” she pleaded sweetly.

Remus grinned. “No promises. I’ll have a rum and coke.”

“On it.”

He watched as the girl expertly twirled a bottle of rum upside down, adding two fingers to a tumbler without watching to see if she pouring enough in. She popped a can of ice-cold coke and tilted it just right to minimize foam, shook the tumbler twice and poured the contents into a tall glass before pushing it in front of Remus. Resting her elbows on the counter, she smiled prettily up at Remus who couldn’t help but grin in return as he picked up the glass and brought it to his lips, taking a long sip. He set it down and nodded appreciatively.

“Impressive,” he noted.

“Why thank you.” Her ice blue eyes twinkled proudly.

“You’re new here,” Remus stated after taking another sip of his rum and coke.

She giggled. “That wasn’t even a question. You come here often I take it.”

Remus nodded. “Probably too much actually.”

Her laughter tinkled like wind-chimes (and yes, he knew how weird of a comparison that was to make, but it was accurate). “Well, yes I’m new here. This is my second night actually. I’m still getting the lay of the land. Mostly I’ve learned that your boyfriend there can be a bit much, can’t he?”

Remus didn’t have to look behind him to know who she was alluding to. She must have seen Remus come in and the proceeding heated conversation between the two of them. He clicked his tongue. “Ah yes. Sirius Black is infamous around these parts. But he’s not my boyfriend.”

“Clearly,” she deadpanned, probably watching Sirius grind against the hottie over Remus’s shoulder. “But… don’t you want him to be?”

Rather than laugh outright, he actually stopped to consider it. “Hmm…” He took another swig of his drink and chuckled drily. “Y’ know, sometimes I think it would be so much easier if he was,” he admitted, shaking his head humorously. “At least then I’d know someone was looking out for him. But unfortunately, as I’m woefully straight, I don’t think Sirius would take too kindly to a sexless relationship… or any kind of relationship now that I think on it.”

The new barmaid blinked. “Oh, well I just assumed. Sorry.”

Remus waved her apology away quickly. “It’s easy to assume. I am in a gay club.”

Clearly happy that she hadn’t made things awkward, she grinned at Remus gratefully. “I totally thought you were, like, pining or something. You looked completely defeated when you sat down and that’s why I offered you the drink for free. Now I think I should make you pay for it,” she joked.

Remus smirked. “What’s you name?”

“Rosmerta.”

Remus held out a hand. “Remus,” he said in introduction and Rosmerta slipped her tiny hand into his own, smiling demurely as they shook hands.

“Nice to meet you.”

“And you. Now, Rosmerta, I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Remus whispered, leaning in close like this secret was so private, he didn’t want anyone else to overhear. She leaned in too, her eyes wide with amusement. “All my drinks are on the house.”

Rosmerta huffed. “Right,” she mocked stepping away and eyeing him skeptically.

“No, it’s true,” Remus retorted, grinning stupidly. He loved when Magic! hired new staff. It was always so much fun. “It’s one of the many perks of drinking at a place owned by my Mum.”

“I uh— oh… Wait, really?”

Remus smiled as he took another sip of alcohol.

“… surprisingly not as disgusting as I thought they’d be.”

“Maybe women are just cleaner. The mens’ toilet… let’s just say I wouldn’t want to shine a blacklight in there.”

“Ew.”

Remus turned around in time to see a flash of red hair and his hand shot out to grab the boys wrist without thinking. Bright blue eyes landed on him, and they flashed with surprise. “Oh uh—“

“You again,” Remus muttered. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I uh— well I—“

“Hey! Take your hands off him!”

Remus blinked as his attention was brought to the young girl with bright pink hair who was wedging her way between Remus and Charlie.

“Tonks, it’s okay—“

“The hell it is! What do you think you’re doing, you old prick?”

Remus was so shocked by her choice of words that he actually dropped Charlie’s wrist to cover his mouth as he laughed. “Alright. Point made little lady,” he conceded. It never really bothered him when people called him old… or when they called him a prick. Sometimes he was both, sometimes he was neither. “Got yourself a good bodyguard there Charlie.”

Charlie, for some reason, gaped at him like he’d grown another head. The girl— Tonks (or whatever the hell Charlie had called her earlier)— crossed her arms and glared at him.

“Um yeah. Thank.” Charlie still seemed a bit shell-shocked and he ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end. The look actually suited him. “Remus, this is my friend Tonks. I sort of… told her tonight.”

“Yeah, we’re celebrating,” Tonks simpered, “so if you’ll excuse us…” Tonks grabbed a hold of Charlie’s hand and tugged, but the redhead didn’t budge.

“Is he here?” The question was so soft, Remus could barely hear it over the pumping bass of the techno music. Jesus, how long is this song, Remus wondered. Obviously the track had changed somewhere along the way, but to Remus, all techno music sounded the same, like one long, irritating synth solo.

Remus smiled and turned to Rosmerta, holding up three fingers. “Whiskey.”

Rosmerta raised an eyebrow but did as she was told, pouring three shots of whiskey and setting them on the bar. Remus grabbed up two and held them out to Charlie and Tonks who gingerly accepted. He then grabbed up his own and held it out in a mock cheers.

“Congratulations, Charlie,” Remus commended, and he meant it. He’d watched numerous men come into this club drinking their woes away after coming out to their friends or family with terrible results. He was glad this time was different. He knocked back his shot of whiskey hoping it didn’t mix with the rum in his stomach too badly, and watched as Charlie and Tonks timidly did the same. He leaned in to grab the empty shot glasses and looked Charlie in the eyes. “And he’s over there if you want him.”

Charlie’s head swiveled around swiftly and Remus watched his face, knowing exactly the moment he spotted Sirius for his expression fell for split second before he turned back to Tonks. “Do you want to dance?”

“Well you did tell me to wear my hair down,” Tonks deadpanned. She poked Charlie in the chest with a clipped, unpainted fingernail. “But tonight, Charles Weasley, you are going to tell me exactly what happened with that gorgeous but really old and completely out of your league man over there… preferably while we eat your mum’s cobbler.”

Remus leaned an elbow on the bar behind him and simply watched the two secondary school students squabble as they lead each other out onto the dance floor. Eventually they gave in to the beat and simply danced like no one was watching.

After a bit he spun around on the barstool and faced Rosemerta again who was drying a clean shot glass with a flannel. “Whiskey?”

“You can put theirs on my tab,” Remus quipped. 

The barmaid flipped her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder and leveled him with an unimpressed look. “I meant that they were clearly underage.”

“And celebrating,” Remus added seriously. He shrugged.

Rosmerta’s lips turned up at the corners despite her best efforts. “Alright.” Her smile widened and Remus was suddenly entranced by it. And it was infectious.

“Hi there, I’ll have another cosmo.”

Remus tilted his head to left and found a very familiar blonde primly seated on the vacated bar stool next to him. “Hey you,” he greeted, as Rosemerta left to fulfill Narcissa’s order.

“Hi back. What are you doing here?”

Remus had to think back a bit to remember what exactly brought him here that night. Oh yeah. Sirius and his bloody 999. “Oh you know. I sort of live here.”

“Do you really?”

“Practically.”

Narcissa leaned in close to where he could smell the cranberry juice on her breath when she spoke. “That’s fecking weird Remus.”

Remus chuckled, grabbing up his rum and coke and taking a long draft of it this time. “I know.”

Narcissa grinned and then her demeanor turned serious. “Okay, now this might be a strange question, but who was that ginger lad you were speaking to just now?”

“One of Sirius’s…” Conquests? Lovers? One-night stands? Honestly, none of those words really incapsulated Charlie Weasley or explained the way Sirius looked at the boy that night almost a week ago. Even if Sirius seemed to have forgotten the kid in his latest pursuits, the way Remus’s best mate acted around the redhead last Sunday had been weirdly out of the ordinary. And Remus couldn’t think of a word that described Charlie that could got at the end of that sentence. Then again, maybe “One of Sirius’s,” was good enough, so Remus decided to leave it at that.

“So he’s already slept with Sirius then?”

“Yeah. Why?” Now Remus was curious.

“Well, I just—“ Narcissa must have had a number of Cosmos before the one Rosmerta just set down in front of her, because Remus had never heard her so hesitant to speak with authority before. “Look, okay, we got here earlier and we did the whole get a drink and then people-watch for a bit. Then I wanted to go dancing, right? But Sirius— he was watching that redhead. A lot. And then suddenly he looked all determined, like he was formulating a plan, right? And dancing obviously wasn’t part of it yet so I went off without him. But, I could swear, Remus, behind those eyes of his I could see the want in them. My son has that same look in his eyes when he spots a sweet in Miss Debbie’s handbag. So… I don’t know. I just assumed this ginger kid had turned him down and Sirius was figuring out a way to make him jealous or something. But you’re saying Sirius has already had him?”

Remus was a bit overwhelmed by Narcissa’s observations and he glanced over at the dance floor to examine the situation more thoroughly.

And he could see it.

The way Sirius’s eyes darted over his partner’s shoulder to see if Charlie was watching. It was so quick and subtle that you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t looking for it. Remus stared, dumbfounded. Sirius hadn’t forgotten Charlie in the slightest.

“What is it about that kid,” Remus wondered aloud.

Narcissa’s eyes widened next to him and she practically did a jig in her seat. “Ooh, intrigue. You,” she enthused, before gulping down the last of her cosmo (wow that was quick) and hopping down from her barstool, “must tell me more sometime, ‘cause god knows Sirius won’t. But right now, you have to dance with me.”

Remus startled out of his dazed reverie and focused on the girl in front of him. “Yeah… no.”

Narcissa pouted her lips. “Come on Remus, please. I’m getting a divorce at the age of twenty-four and I really want to party, but I’m so tired of being someone’s token hag. Come on, please.”

Remus sighed. Narcissa looked really cute when she begged. “Okay, but I’m not dancing to this.”

“Well good, it’s awful. Should we go to a different club?”

Remus grinned as he stepped down from the stool, downed the rest of his drink and took Narcissa’s hand in his own. “Nope, I got this,” he said, dragging a tipsy Narcissa along behind him as he navigated the crowd to reach the DJ.

“Remus, what’s going on, mate,” the DJ, Firenze, inquired. Remus had to rely on his ability to read lips to catch the question.

“Hey mate, enough of this techno shit,” Remus shouted over the thumping bass. “Play something with lyrics!”

“You go it.”

Remus left Firenze to his work and pulled Narcissa back out onto the floor, the blonde laughing hysterically as he tugged he toward him and held her still. “No dancing until he plays something good, yeah?”

Narcissa nodded and suddenly the techno music was gone and a loud piano note followed by a familiar catchy bop filled the air and you could practically feel the energy in the room brighten.

Narcissa threw her head back and laughed so hard, no noise came out. “This is a good song right?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Remus responded, feeling the song seep into his bones.

“Good, because I think it would be sacrilege not to dance to this one,” Narcissa bellowed.

You can dance, you can ji-ive, having the time of your life,  
Ooh oohooh  
See that girl, watch that scene,  
Dig in the dancing queen

Remus agreed whole-heartedly.

***

There was a sharp chirping noise and Narcissa groaned into her bedsheets. Her head was on fire and the constant ringing was really not helping. There was a shuffling beside her and she winked open an eyelid to find a broad tan back leaning over to snatch his landline form the receiver.

“What,” the man barked and she recognized the voice, but was too tired to think much of it.

Suddenly a pair of soft brown eyes replaced the bare back as Remus twisted around to face Narcissa.

“Uh yeah, no worries. She’s here.”

Narcissa stopped breathing for a second, but only for a second. This was Remus. If she was going to sleep with anyone after splitting with her husband at least it was Remus, right? She smiled shyly up at him who seemed to calm down as well when he spotted something behind her. She twisted around, noticed the condom rapper on the nightstand, and giggled when she turned back to face her lover last night. Thank god for Remus Lupin. Always thinking ahead that one, even when he was pissed drunk.

Suddenly Remus grimaced. “Oh God, please stop talking Sirius…” Narcissa raised an eyebrow in question. Remus held a hand over the receiver and whispered, “He’s telling me about his own sexual exploits last night—“ Remus physically recoiled at something Sirius must have said. “For fuck’s Sirius, I really didn’t need to know that!”

Narcissa giggled, her headache starting to subside now that her eyes were adjusting to the morning light streaming through the blinds in Remus’s flat.

“Yes, I know she’s your cousin, but I didn’t say shit about shagging her. Me and her could have just as easily talked all night and your imagination has simply run away with you.”

Narcissa turned over to lay on her back, astutely aware now of her state of undress. She snorted. They definitely hadn’t talked all night.

“Well just because you pictured that doesn’t mean I have to know every detail of your night with that supermodel. God Sirius, we have a very unhealthy relationship.” Remus sighed. “That’s it, I’m calling it. I think we should take a break for a bit… Yes, I think we should break up… Well fine! Fuck you too then!… … … Okay yeah, we’ll be by this afternoon. I”m sure Narcissa will want to see Lily and the baby.”

Narciss perked up at this and nodded her head enthusiastically. Remus noticed and smiled.

“Narcissa is nodding her head like a madwoman. We’ll see you later Sirius… Bye.”

Remus put the phone back on the receiver and settled his head back down on the pillow. Narcissa turned onto her side again to face him. “Hey,” she said.

“Hi.” There was a long pause as both of them just seemed to enjoy the silence. “Do you remember last night at all?”

“It’s coming back in bits and pieces.”

“Yeah me too,” Remus agreed. “Are you… alright?”

Narcissa chuckled. “I’m fine Remus. Really, I am.”

Remus nodded his head in understanding. “Good. That’s good.”

And it was good. She was good.

Her family had no idea what they were missing by not knowing the real Sirius Black… or the people he chose to call family.

“So…” Narcissa grinned. “How about you tell me more about this ginger lad of Sirius’s before we have to get out of bed.”


End file.
